Responsibilities center on conducting pesticide residue analysis on raw agriculture commodities for regulatory evaluation. This includes extraction of various fruits and vegetables, clean-up of extracts and analysis of same utilizing high end analytical instrumentation. These works will be documented through GLP laboratory notebooks specific to study protocols, conducted nationally. The position will involve some pesticide residue method development, validation of said methods as well as documentation of procedures, handling of small amounts of hazardous materials (pesticides), and preparation of standard solutions. All documentation needs to be clear and thorough and consistent with GLP so that these data can be distilled into analytical summary reports which are submitted to external regulatory agencies in support of pesticide tolerance generation. The position requires capabilities of operating laboratory equipment such as centrifuges and roto-evaporators, utilizing analytical chemistry techniques such as SPE, liquid-liquid partitioning, and data generation utilizing GC/MSD or LC/MS/MS, data analysis and report writing. Familiarity with the pesticide residue analytical techniques and analytical instrumentation is necessary. Experience with GLP research procedures, and computer analytical software (MS Office) is required. Work schedule should be flexible to accommodate data submission deadlines to external regulatory agencies.

Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills

Knowledge normally acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in environmental sciences, chemistry or other related field; six months to one year of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience performing basic research techniques in pesticide residue analysis; experience with GC/MSD and LC/MS/MS instrumentation; strong working knowledge of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) procedures; use and calibration of related equipment; word processing, spreadsheet; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Possession of a valid vehicle operator's license.